Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

In 1874, artists began to stray away from romantic ideals and instead painted landscapes and ordinary scenes as they are seen rather than what the mind knows and interprets. This period is called Impressionism. They would take their canvases outdoors and paint quickly, under constantly changing conditions, as if they were sketching. This painting is called “The Dance Class” and is painted by Edgar Degas. In his work, we see some ballerinas and their mothers waiting while a dancer performs for her examination. The mirror in the painting shows a window on the opposite side of the room, depicting that it is midday. The light in the painting is coming from the direction of the window as it would be if you were in the classroom yourself.

            Post-Impressionism is the period directly following Impressionism in which the artists believed in a free interpretation of nature, not just how something is seen but something deeper. Post-Impressionist painters did not share a single style but instead had their own different take on Impressionism. Many of the artists were influenced by Japanese prints and adopted bold, simplified shapes and flat color areas. Some artists even used color to express emotions. This painting is called “Gray Weather, Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat. In this painting, we can see Seurat has flattened out the picture plane to better express the beauty of the landscape. He sought “to transcribe most exactly the vivid outdoor clarity of nature in all its nuances” using a technique known as Divisionism or Pointillism. Divisionism is the separation of colors into individual dots or patches.